Roadside overlook of the Chino open-pit copper mine — also called Santa Rita del Cobre — one of the oldest copper districts in the United States and a textbook porphyry-copper excavation. Interpretive displays explain the pit; the Kneeling Nun welded tuff cliff stands on the skyline. The historic town of Santa Rita was relocated as the pit expanded.
Field facts
| Region | Grant County, NM |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32.7917, -108.0673 |
| Rock | Porphyry copper; Kneeling Nun Tuff on skyline |
| Era | Spanish colonial copper works; open-pit mining from 1910 |
| Access | Signed overlook on NM 152 east of Hanover |
| Manager | Active Freeport-McMoRan operation; public vista only |
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